Computing devices executing the appropriate computer software are often used to create information graphics such as, but not limited to, diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps. For ease of discussion an information graphic is generically referred to herein as a “diagram.” A diagram is a visual representation of a data model, i.e., a software structure in which computer software programs store persistent information, e.g., a data graph. Computer software programs that can create diagrams visually representing data models are generically referred to herein as “diagramming applications.”
Diagramming applications are usually supported by a graphical user interface (GUI). A GUI is a computer software component, executed by a computing device, that presents visual elements in a display. A typical diagramming application provides a plurality of types of information graphics, i.e., diagram types, to enable the representation of different aspects of data models. Indeed, a diagramming application becomes more useful with each diagram type the diagramming application provides. Often, diagrams of differing types not only differ in appearance but also in how the diagrams are assembled. A command or control in a diagramming application used to insert visual elements into diagrams may not produce the same results in diagrams of differing types. Many diagram types often require a large number of actions to insert and position visual elements in a diagram.